Geology in Motion: Congratulations, MESSENGER, on reaching Mercury!!

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This blog provides commentary on interesting geological events occurring around the world in the context of my own work. This work is, broadly, geological fluid dynamics. The events that I highlight here are those that resonate with my professional life and ideas, and my goal is to interpret them in the context of ideas I've developed in my research. The blog does not represent any particular research agenda. It is written on a personal basis and does not seek to represent the University of Illinois, where I am a professor of geology and physics. Enjoy Geology in Motion! I would be glad to be alerted to geologic events of interest to post here! I hope that this blog can provide current event materials that will make geology come alive.

Banner image is by Ludie Cochrane..

Susan Kieffer can be contacted at s1kieffer at gmail.com

Friday, April 1, 2011

Congratulations, MESSENGER, on reaching Mercury!!

First image of Mercury ever taken from a
spacecraft in orbit around Mercury. Sent from Messenger,
which reached orbit around Mercury on March 17. Photo
sent on March 29, 2011
Photo credit: NASA

MESSENGER has successfully completed a complicated journey through the solar system to reach Mercury. The path included one flyby of Earth (August 2005), two flybys of Venus (2006, 2007) and three flybys of Mercury (two in 2008, one in 2009). It's returning the first new spacecraft data from Mercury since Mariner 10 sent data more than 30 years ago. MESSENGER was launched on August 3, 2004.

MESSENGER will be in a highly elliptical orbit around Mercury, coming as close as 200 km to the surface or being as far away as 15,000 km.

The rayed crater in this image is the impact crater Debussy. It is a central-peak crater with rays that extend hundreds of kilometers across the planet. This crater is visible in Earth-based radar images of mercury because of the prominent bright rays. The name honors the famous French composer, Claude Debussy (1862-1918).

Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are the rocky planets of our solar system. Mercury is "extreme": the smallest, and the densest (after correcting for self-compression). It has the oldest surface, and may have incipient, though not well-developed, plate tectonic features. It has the most extreme variations in daily surface temperature.

MESSENGER scientists are focusing on six questions: (1) Why is Mercury so dense? (2) What is the geologic history? (3) What is the nature of its magnetic field? (4) What is the structure of its core? (5) What are the unusual materials at the poles (which are permanently shadowed)? (6) What volatiles are important at Mercury?

The MESSENGER website is here.

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Synopsis of Book and Reviews

If you want to learn a bit of the science behind earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, rogue waves, cyclones and hurricanes, and tornadoes, this is an introduction that weaves together stories of various disasters--some barely known to much of the world--their causes and dynamics, and some suggested actions we can take to protect ourselves. The book is available both in paper and as an audio CD.

"This is a fantastic book. I've recommended to colleagues at FEMA and am using it as a text for my disaster classes. It really demonstrates how knowledge of the environment should inform policy. It was a page turner for me!"--Dr. Trish on Customer Reviews at Amazon.com

"Sharp, timely, slightly terrifying science writing." --Kirkus

''A clear, engagingly wonky introduction to the field.'' --Publishers Weekly

''Geologist Kieffer argues that we don't understand disasters as well as we should. She contrasts 'stealth disasters' caused by long-term human impact, including climate change and soil erosion, with natural disasters or 'acts of God,' which are also increasingly affected by human actions . . . [A] highly accessible look at disasters.'' --Booklist

"Kieffer's brisk and lucid presentation has some of the relish with which surgeons reputedly regale each other with tales from the operating theatre. Laid out before the reader are the suppurating wounds, scalds, tremors, and scars acquired by the Earth over millennia, centuries, decades, or minutes."--Claudio Vita-Finzi in The Times of London

"A study on natural disasters [that] puts fizz into the physics." --Review in Nature by Roger Bilham

"Educates but also entertains... A fast-moving interesting bedtime read..." Review in Science by Donald Turcotte

"Photos enhance the drama of this highly accessible look at disasters." --BookProfessor.com by Vanessa Bush

"Geologist Kieffer analyzes recent earthquakes and eruptions with a clear eye on improving our planning for, and response to, these inevitable events."--Discover magazine, November 2013

"If you are an amateur weather geek, disaster wonk or budding student of the earth sciences, you will want to read this book. (If you're squeamish, skip the chapter titled "A Plague of Snakes.")--Seattle Times by Mary Ann Gwinn

"[T]he clarity of Kieffer’s writing, coupled with her careful choice of supporting graphics, makes the content engaging and accessible to a wide readership." Alison Stokes in TheTimesHigherEducation

Picked by Gone Bookserk.com as one of the "Top Science Books of 2013."

“In The Dynamics of Disaster, famed geoscientist Susan Kieffer merges stories and science in a fascinating introduction to the dangerous side of the Earth, with key insights for citizens and enough excitement to captivate the full range of students.”
—Richard B. Alley, author of Earth: The Operator’s Manual

"Both general readers and working scientists will enjoy this well-written book--and learn some things they did not know...Summing up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals; general audiences."--by Seth Stein in Choice Reviews Online (of the American Library Association), April 2014

"This [impressive] book ought to be placed in the hands of politicians, engineers, insurance assessors and, frankly, anyone who sees sense in understanding the processes and systems that guide our planet." --Geographical, December 2013, by Jonathan Wright

Nominated for 2014 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award

A "read-alike"--Carnegie Medal Read-alikes, 2014, nonfiction

This book is part of a recent trend--one that is just beginning, but is likely to grow--in which scientists, especially young ones, seek to move beyond the "disasters are bad" view presented in beginner classes to a more sophisticated and nuanced view…Seth Stein in Physics World (U.K.)

"It is like a "Magic School Bus" outing for adults, with Kieffer acting as Ms. Frizzle, guiding the reader around the world to disaster hotspots, where she analyzes and breaks down the physical characteristics that contribute to events in those areas."--Summit Daily, December 20, 2013

#1 in list of Best Sellers: Geology, from May 2013 to March 2014. LibraryJournal.com

Victoria Raschke's Reviews (Jan. 09, 2019) Kieffer's explanations of the how natural disasters occur is perfectly suited to the interested layperson. The section on rogue waves was worth the price of admission in that it explains something that always seemed kind of supernatural. If you have any interest at all in understanding our living planet and why it sometimes feels like it would be happy to be rid of us, this is the book for you.

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